Designing software is an expensive process that has many avenues for improvement. Documentation is one way that designers can learn and grow from past designs. The goal of this project was to determine if design knowledge can be generated through data mining, and to determine the benefits of the design knowledge. The researchers performed various data mining algorithms to analyze the data captured by software that helps software designers document their design process. The patterns that emerged from performing the data algorithms were seen to be useful in learning about the software design process. Furthermore, functional requirements and a conceptual model were developed for creating an extension of the pre- existing software to include data mining.

Sketching is a valuable tool commonly performed in the early stages of design. A large percentage of sketches in software design are done using traditional methods (e.g. pencil and paper). This method is usually effective for small teams working on a project. However, in todayÕs society it is common for people in different locations across the world to collaborate projects. To support mobile collaborative sketching, software must make sketches available, portable, easily reproduced, shared and editable. The result of the project was the development of a prototype for Real-Time Collaborative Sketching (RTCS) software that provides a sketching platform on a mobile device, as well as a desktop computer.

Natural resource managers in the Klamath River Basin, located in northern California and southern Oregon, face numerous challenges regarding watershed management and water allocation issues. There is a miscellany of governmental agencies, tribes, and non governmental organizations that collect, analyze, and store water quality data. Reliable, readily available data is critically important to assist managers in decision-making. The project resulted in a prototype of a map-based, application-oriented, accessible, extensible, and scalable water quality data clearinghouse web application. This prototype is built on open-source technologies and conforms to the Open Geospatial Consortium's standards.

Nuclear fusion is a very promising alternative energy source because it is environmentally friendly and has an energy supply that would last for hundreds of millennia. Because of the cost of creating a fusion reactor, a more plausible research technique is to develop mathematical models. The researchers developed a mathematical model using plasma theory. They performed computationally intensive simulations of fusion energy that involved projecting instabilities that would occur in electrons and ions. A Beowulf cluster was created to enable the researchers to perform more complex simulations.

A thorough investigation of Human Computer Interaction's (HCI) past and present has revealed many problems within HCI and the digital product design process. The goal of the project was to help develop sensitivity to design that helps to ensure interface quality and meaningful interactions for the user. The researchers focused on the benefits of utilizing basic graphic design concepts and principles. The result was a toolkit that contained two flash modules, a tri-fold pamphlet and other exercises. The toolkit addresses how graphic design can improve HCI and the digital product design process.